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sandpaper

Sandpaper or glasspaper are generic names used for a type of coated abrasive that consists of sheets of paper or cloth with abrasive material glued to one face. Despite the use of the names neither sand nor glass are now used in the manufacture of these products as they have been replaced by other abrasives. Sandpaper is produced in different grit sizes and is used to remove small amounts of material from surfaces, either to make them smoother (for example, in painting and wood finishing), to remove a layer of material (such as old paint), or sometimes to make the surface rougher (for example, as a preparation for gluing ). For the sake of clarity it is common to use the name of the abrasive when describing the paper, e.g. "aluminium oxide paper", or in the case of 3M's dark-grey Wetordry it is called "silicon carbide" paper.